Adding a wagon version of the Leon helped to boost Seat's appeal to families.
NICK GIBBS: Volkswagen Group’s Spain-based Seat brand is no longer the “Spanish Alfa Romeo” after moving away from its sporty image, CEO Juergen Stackmann said.
“I’m glad we are far beyond Alfa in terms of volume and market relevance,” Stackmann told reporters at a press event in London
Seat was part of VW’s Audi division along with Lamborghini from 2002 to 2007 and ...Continue reading "VW's Seat brand puts brakes on sportiness to lure family buyers" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Customers at 50 Aldi stores in Germany can now charge their EVs for free. (Aldi Sued)
DAVID JOLLEY: Despite a government vow to have 1 million electric cars on Germany’s roads by 2020, Europe’s biggest car market has been painfully slow to offer any significant incentives to push sales in the segment.
But now one popular discount supermarket chain, Aldi, has introduced something that could be a major step in helping to popularize EV take-up in Germany: free charging.
Aldi and energ ...Continue reading "Germany's EV drive gets a supermarket's help" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Grupo Antolin’s planned purchase of most of Magna International’s interiors operations and Johnson Controls Inc.’s possible sale of its seating business are just the beginning of the upheaval in the automotive interiors world. The sector, however, will remain competitive, said an expert with vast experience in mergers and acquisitions.
“I don’t see an end to the curr ...Continue reading "Interiors sector will get smaller, but not too small" »()Post Comment | Permalink

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is the brand's first new volume model since 2010.
LUCA CIFERRI: Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne hopes that his 5 billion-euro bet on Alfa Romeo will result in eight new models that boost global sales to 400,000 vehicles by 2018 and bring an end to more than a decade of financial losses at the 105-year-old brand.
If I were Marchionne, I would be very worried about not achieving those three ambitious goals – and I’m not alone.
Let’s start ...Continue reading "Alfa's last chance?" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Jason Stein is the publisher and editor of Automotive News.
JASON STEIN: So now that the Alfa Romeo plan is more fully hatched and the strategy is clear -- horsepower and hair-raising versions come first, and mainstream models follow -- here's a nagging question: Do we have Ferdinand Piech to thank for all of this?
Are the fingerprints of the former Volkswagen supervisory board chairman all over the Alfa bet?
Vielleicht, as the Germans say. Maybe.
This fall will mar ...Continue reading "Did Piech's prodding revive Alfa?" »()Post Comment | Permalink

The revised Ford EcoSport no longer has a rear-mounted spare tire.
NICK GIBBS: Ford stumbled with the EcoSport and was forced to make rapid changes to address poor sales. So what went wrong? The simple answer is that Ford didn't get the design right. In response, the revised EcoSport no longer has a rear-mounted spare tire and Ford has made styling, comfort and equipment changes to the interior just a year after the small SUV went on sale.
Ford took immediate action because ...Continue reading "Why Ford stumbled with the EcoSport" »()Post Comment | Permalink

There is a big misconception that Germany's export-reliant carmakers favor another Greek bailout at any cost since a deal would serve their own narrow interests.
It is wrong to believe they want to prevent a so-called Grexit by keeping Athens on permanent life-support as a way to maintain the appearance of a stable eurozone economy, perpetuate demand for German goods, and ensure the euro remains ...Continue reading "German carmakers are right: Grexit can save Europe" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Volvo supplied 35 XC90s for last month's Swedish royal wedding.
DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC: The Volvo XC90 has become synonymous with the royal family of the company’s homeland.
Sweden’s royal court used 35 new-generation XC90s as courtesy cars to transport VIPs attending last month’s wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist.
In addition, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden has added the premium SUV to his fleet, a Volvo source confirmed to Automotive News Eu ...Continue reading "Swedish royalty and the XC90" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Citroen CEO Linda Jackson thinks China's car business is less macho than in other countries because its history isn't rooted in the male-driven world of racing.
NICK GIBBS: One year into her role as Citroen CEO Linda Jackson says she hasn't encountered any prejudice as a woman working a man's world. In fact, she says it's an advantage.
“Being a women you can ask questions that men don't ask because they're supposed to know all these things,” she told me during a recent interview at the recent Automotive News Europe Congress.
One surprise to her has been ...Continue reading "Citroen CEO sees positive changes for women in auto industry" »()Post Comment | Permalink

The Espace's touchscreen corresponds with the driver's view of the road, ensuring information is displayed clearly.
BRUCE GAIN: Renault’s large, vertically mounted touchscreen on its new Espace large minivan seems like a smart move as connectivity increasingly becomes a key selling point for new vehicles.
The Espace’s 8.7-inch touchscreen for controlling infotainment and driving aids has a similar layout to the signature 17-inch display on the Tesla Model S sedan.
The Espace touchscreen’s portrait mode, ...Continue reading "Renault Espace's Tesla-like touchscreen could be a winner" »()Post Comment | Permalink

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE: Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and related companies, has a number of honorifics and titles on his resume.
But there is one important task that doesn't get talked about that much: Sherpa.
I refer to Marchionne's desperate quest to find a merger partner for FCA. He is shouldering the load for the billionaire Agnelli family that employs him.
Actually, Marchionne reminds me mo ...Continue reading "Marchionne's merger mania: Why now?" »()Post Comment | Permalink

This Audi A7 concept covered almost 900km largely on autopilot from Palo Alto, California, to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
LUCA CIFERRI: In the near future I could be writing this column from the driver’s seat of my car while the vehicle steers itself along the highway. This highlights just one of the possibilities that self-driving and increasingly connected cars open up to people like me who are fascinated by any new technology.
Audi’s sales and marketing chief, Luca de Meo, one of the brightest auto executives I hav ...Continue reading "Life or death decisions" »()Post Comment | Permalink

The industry's up-and-coming executives require something their old-school bosses are often reluctant to give: praise. This deficiency can be the difference in losing or keeping a game-changing team member, said Gabi Whitefield, who along with being global public relations director at Land Rover is a member of the Automotive News Europe Rising Stars Club.
Whitfield was asked to speak last night d ...Continue reading "The incredible power of praise" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Alfa Romeo returned to the U.S. market last November with the 4C.
RICHARD TRUETT: A 44-year-old Alfa Romeo Montreal sports coupe that sold new for $6,000 brought $176,000 at a classic car auction in Arizona. Some older Alfas are commanding auction prices more than 10 times higher than just five years ago.
There is no doubt that Alfa Romeo fans -- the Alfisti -- are passionate. But there is enough doubt that there are enough of them to bring the brand back to life after a 20-ye ...Continue reading "The steep road ahead for Alfa in the U.S." »()Post Comment | Permalink

The XR-PHEV II previewed the next-generation ASX, Mitsubishi's No. 2 seller in Europe.
NICK GIBBS: Mitsubishi should become an SUV-only brand in Europe positioned below Land Rover to boost its profitability and sales volume, the brand’s UK boss believes.
The Japanese automaker’s European volume is already tilted toward SUVs after the company axed its slow-selling Lancer compact car in some European markets including the UK. This left the Mirage/Space Star hatchback as the brand&rsq ...Continue reading "Mitsubishi should focus on SUVs to boost Europe sales" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Honda has reduced the problem of drastic undercapacity at its factory in Swindon, England, by inviting suppliers to utilize the empty space.
Honda has been building cars in Swindon since 1992, and in 2001 it responded to rising demand for its models by building a second plant to lift capacity by 100,000 units to 250,000 cars.
But the Japanese automaker was hit hard by the European economic slump ...Continue reading "Honda works smart to fill UK plant" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Ferdinand Piech did it again. The 78-year old patriarch upstaged his younger cousin Wolfgang Porsche and former protege Martin Winterkorn by missing the annual meeting of the family holding company that holds a majority stake in Volkswagen Group.
Wolfgang Porsche had to field questions that almost solely dealt with his missing relative at the Porsche SE shareholders meeting on Wednesday after Pie ...Continue reading "Piech casts shadow over Porsche's annual meeting" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Investors alarmed by a substantial drop in profits from BMW's Chinese joint venture with Brilliance received few reassurances that this will change anytime soon, as BMW executives braced the market for a profit-eroding performance in China weighed down by rising investment costs and an aging product lineup.
BMW's earnings from its joint venture with Brilliance China Automotive look to have nearly ...Continue reading "BMW's days of easy money in China are over" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Volkswagen Group, Toyota and General Motors each sell about 10 million vehicles annually around the world, yet VW has more global employees than Toyota and GM combined.
Clearly, the weak profitability at its VW brand stems from its low productivity. Yet because of the powerful role unions play at Volkswagen, that surplus of workers is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Not only are wide-ranging la ...Continue reading "Why VW tops rivals Toyota and GM in workforce size" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Richard Truett covers engineering for Automotive News.
RICHARD TRUETT: Fiat Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne is absolutely right in his call for industry consolidation.
But he is absolutely wrong about what needs consolidating.
In a call with analysts last week to discuss Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ first quarter earnings, Marchionne went rogue and launched into a discussion further pressing his case for automaker megamergers. Car companies, he believes, must ...Continue reading "Marchionne is so right and so wrong about consolidation" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Ferdinand Piech was absent from Volkswagen Group's annual meeting today after he quit as chairman last month, but he may cause VW's leadership more headaches than ever before.
Since May 4 was Star Wars Day, permit a small comparison. In the popular science fiction movie Obi-Wan Kenobi warned his protege, Darth Vader, before their fateful light saber duel on the Death Star, "strike me down and I s ...Continue reading "Piech's absence dominates VW annual meeting" »()Post Comment | Permalink

Late-arriving European brands in China such as Renault, Fiat and Jaguar will find it tougher to get established amid the market’s slowdown. There is, however, reason for them to be optimistic because Chinese customers have very little brand loyalty.
Boston Consulting Group studied the purchasing habits of 2,400 car owners and found that three-quarters are planning to switch brands when they ...Continue reading "Good news for Europe's late arrivers in China" »()Post Comment | Permalink

How affordable will this G-class copy be once it goes on sale in China? (NEWSPRESS)JAY RAMEY: Last week at the Shanghai auto show, Land Rover was coming to terms with selling the Range Rover Evoque alongside its half-priced Chinese clone, the Land Wind X7.
Not to be outdone, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding unveiled its own version of a western SUV, opting for the classic Mercedes-Benz G class.
The relationship between Daimler, Mercedes' parent, and BAIC differs from that be ...Continue reading "Mercedes G class latest victim in China's clone wars" »()Post Comment | Permalink